By The Hays Daily News

LIBERAL -- It came down to a tiebreaker, but the Hays High School boys' golf team won its fourth conference title in the Mark Watts era.

The Indians finished second at the Liberal Invitational on Tuesday, the final leg that determined the Western Athletic Conference championship. Dodge City won the meet to tie HHS in the overall team standings.

The tiebreaker was overall strokes for the top four players at each league meet this season. HHS, ahead by eight strokes entering Tuesday's play, lost by six shots at Liberal to edge Dodge City overall, 1262 to 1264.

Watts was named WAC Coach of the Year by virtue of the Indians winning the team title. The HHS seniors had never won a WAC championship.

"It's a good feeling to win the WAC," Watts said. "Going in, I knew we had the depth to do it.

"It was a total team effort," Watts added.

Dodge City finished 1-2 in the individual race, with Aaron Mapel winning the WAC title with 119Ôªø1âÑ2 total points and Jarrett Tagtmeyer second with 109. HHS freshman Trey Herman moved up to third in the final standings with 101 points.

HHS senior Travis Kleweno was fourth in the overall standings.

Freshman Nick VonLintel, who was second heading into Tuesday's action, fell to fifth, while senior Shelby Steffen was sixth and junior Zach Patterson was in the top 10 at seventh.

In Tuesday's meet, Dodge City shot 308, with HHS finishing at 314. Mapel and Tagtmeyer tied for first, both at 73. Steffen was third at 75 and Herman finished fourth at 76.

Kleweno was ninth at 81 and Patterson finished 10th with an 82. VonLintel tied for 12th with an 85 and junior Zach Danner shot an 87 to tie for 17th.

Watts said the Indians will get an addition to the sign at the HHS gym which honors WAC champions.

"They can look up there and say they were WAC champions in 2008," Watts said.